Chapter 227: No More Holding Back

On the other side, Jonathan carried Sierra over and ran a hot bath for her. “Take a good soak. Stop thinking about everything. You need to rest.” He knew she needed to relax. Whenever she was around Kason, she was constantly on edge. She hadn’t eaten much either. Just as Jonathan was about to make her something, Sierra grabbed his hand. “Don’t go.”

Jonathan took a deep breath. He had already been struggling the moment he put her in the bathtub, but he had held himself back, knowing she wasn’t in the right state of mind. Ever since the first time, he had been restraining himself. After her grandmother passed away, he knew she was grieving, so no matter how much he wanted her, he forced himself to stay in control. But now, Sierra was the one teasing him. His eyes darkened, flames flickering in them as he warned her in a low voice, “Don’t start something you can’t handle, or you’ll regret it later.”

“…Stay with me,” Sierra whispered. She feared Jonathan’s intensity, but right now, that was exactly what she needed. At this point, if he could still hold back, he wouldn’t be a man. Jonathan stripped in an instant, saying only one thing— “Don’t cry later.” What followed was complete chaos. The bathroom, the living room, every corner of the house bore the evidence of their passion. This time, Jonathan didn’t hold back at all.

The first time, he had been careful because it was her first. Even though he hadn’t been fully satisfied, he had let her off easy. But this time, Sierra was just as eager as he was. He knew she was using this to let go of everything weighing her down, so he was more than happy to oblige. By the time she finally passed out, he, too, felt relieved after holding back for so long. Only then did Jonathan start feeling human again.

Looking at the marks all over Sierra, for once, he felt a little guilty. Clearing his throat, he got up and headed to the kitchen. In the middle of the night, Sierra woke up hungry. As soon as she moved, a deep voice beside her said, “You’re up?” Half-asleep, Sierra blurted out, “No more.” Jonathan was speechless. Did she think he was that much of a beast! That he wouldn’t even let her eat!

Shaking his head, he scooped her up from the bed. “Relax. Just food this time.” As he spoke, he touched her stomach—it was too flat. Gosh, she was too skinny. She was practically skin and bones. Sierra didn’t know what he was thinking, but when she heard “food,” her first instinct was to shake her head. “I can’t eat anymore.” Jonathan paused for a second before realizing what she meant. He coughed lightly. “I’m talking about actual food.”

Sierra finally understood. Blushing, she stopped resisting and let him carry her to the dining room. Jonathan had made porridge—light, easy to digest, and nutritious. He served her a big bowl. “Eat more. You’re too thin.” Sierra really was starving. In no time, the bowl was empty. She rubbed her stomach, feeling a little too full. “I need to sit for a bit.” Jonathan gently rubbed her stomach. Leaning against him, Sierra felt the steady warmth of his body, bringing her a rare sense of peace.

Everything that happened during the day felt like a nightmare. Only now did she finally feel like she had woken up from it. Seeing that she looked better, Jonathan said, “Stone contacted me. His people will investigate thoroughly. They have their ways—Kason won’t be able to run for long.” “Good,” Sierra nodded, then hesitated before asking, “What about Shane? Can we take him down too?”

That’s a lot harder, Jonathan admitted. “Shane has the Goodman family behind him. Unless we have solid, undeniable proof, it’ll be tough to do anything to him. But your move today was smart. Kason might just be our way in.” Sierra had stirred something in Kason today. Kason wasn’t the type to play second fiddle. For years, he had been living in Shane’s shadow. He had long been dissatisfied. “That call Shane got today… I have a feeling it was about me.” Jonathan nodded in agreement. They talked for a while longer until Sierra drifted off again.

By the next morning, Sierra found out what Shane’s phone call had been about—because Jonathan got word that Shane was being transferred back to the Capital. “Let him go back,” Jonathan said calmly. “That just makes it easier to trap him.” Originally, he had planned to deal with Shane here. But Jade, in an attempt to protect him, had pulled him back to the Capital. That was fine. Did they really think they had the home advantage there? How laughable. “Kason must have heard the news by now.” Jonathan’s guess was right.

At that moment, Kason was sitting across from Mr. Richardson, who had a troubled expression on his face. Kason, however, seemed indifferent.